Fast-moving fire destroys beloved holiday display in Chicago Ridge
CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- A fast-moving fire ripped through a home and garages in southwest suburban Chicago Ridge this week – fueled in part by cotton from a nearby tree.
The fire happened Tuesday afternoon. As CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reported Wednesday, we have now learned a beloved holiday treasure was lost in the flames.
It has become an annual holiday tradition for the past 30 years - where a winter wonderland lights up Lyman Avenue in Chicago Ridge.
The elaborate display attracts spectators from across the county, and it has even gotten news coverage - and was featured in a book.
But most of those homemade installations were all destroyed in the fire Tuesday afternoon.
The fire broke out at a nearby home and spread to three garages – including the one belonging to Bob Kasper.
Kasper is the man who works tirelessly each year to bring the neighborhood what they know to be "the Christmas house." Now, he has been left to rummage through the aftermath after a fire destroyed all the decorations.
"I ran out here with the garden hose - trying to take the fence out, because the fire was only on the fence," Kasper said. "But it just took off."
Melted plastic and steel - along with mounds of ash - are all that's left.
Also damaged in the fire was Kasper's 1972 Chevrolet Corvette. For Kasper, what hurts the most is the vintage treasures that cannot be replaced.
"Everybody comes over and says, 'Nobody has this stuff, because you make it yourself," Kasper said.
"It's a big family tradition. It's a big neighborhood tradition," said his wife, Nancy Kasper. "So it's hard."
The fire, which was still under investigation late Thursday, may have been started by a cigarette thrown on a neighbor's lawn.
And while the devastation it left behind will slow down the Kasper family from putting on their holiday production this year, it's not going to stop them.
"I'll be out there," said Bob Kasper. "I ain't done."
The only thing now for the Kasper family to do is wait for their insurance provider to assess the damage - and for the Chicago Ridge fire department to complete its investigation.
But rest assured, they will be back this Christmas.